- A ho-hum movie starring two of Hollywood’s biggest names
did just enough to win an uninspired weekend box office race, with “2 Guns”
eking out a narrow win in its debut. With $27.4 million in earnings, the Mark
Wahlberg/Denzel Washington film did not overwhelm but did overcome reigning box
office champion “The Wolverine,” which fell to second with $21.7 million.
Through two weeks, “Wolverine” has banked $95 million in domestic earnings. It
was not a smashing debut for “The Smurfs 2,” which limped to the finish line with $18.2
million against a budget backdrop of $105 million. “The Conjuring” continued to
be extremely profitable, registering $13.7 million for a three-week tally of
$108.6 million that has now quintupled its $20 million budget and then some. Fifth
place went to another animated sequel, “Despicable Me 2,” which banked $10.4
million to up its five-week domestic total to $326.7 million. Sequel mania
continued with “Grown Ups 2” in sixth place, earning $8.2 million to raise its
four-week haul to $116.4 million and counting. The third animated movie of the
top 10, Fox’s “Turbo,” notched $6.4 million and after three weeks at local
multiplexes around the United States, it has amassed $69.5 million in total
earnings and has a long way to go to reach profitability. “Red 2” was the
fourth sequel in the top 10 – finishing eighth - and with $5.7 million, it has
now raked in a whopping $45.1 million….with just $39 million more to go until
it breaks even financially. “The Heat” seized ninth place with $4.8 million and
its six-week domestic bank roll rests at $149.5 million. “Pacific Rim”
completed the top 10 with $4.6 million and it remains a colossal disappointment
with $92.9 million in domestic earnings and a $190 million budget hanging over
its head. “Fruitvale Station” (No. 12) and “R.I.P.D.” (No. 13) both lost their
spots in the top 10 from last weekend……..
- Cosmo Kramer would be proud. Roger Herrin wasn’t paying for fictional
calzones on “Seinfeld,” but driving a truckload of bags full of quarters to two
local law offices in Southern Illinois was a quintessential eff-you move for a
number of reasons. The delivery of $150,000 in quarters was part of a protest
by about a court ruling in a wrongful death case. Herrin's son, Michael, died
in a car accident in 2001 at the age of 15. Michael Herrin was in a car with
three other people when a truck failed to stop at an intersection, striking the
vehicle he was riding in. Only Herrin was killed; the other three people inside
were injured. Michael Herrin was riding in a Jeep with Jared Head, Ross Duncan,
and Katherine Duncan and the four were on their way back from playing golf. The
Jeep was covered up to $800,000 and a judge ruled Herrin should get most of
that money, $600,000, because his son died. That didn’t sit well with the other
three victims, who appealed the decision and won. Roger Herrin, who had already
received $1.65 million from other insurance coverage in the crash, was ordered
to pay back $150,000 from the $600,000 he received and he clearly didn’t like
that decision. "They can have all the money in the world and I'd take my
son back," Roger Herrin fumed. "If and when someone ever loses a
child. It leaves a hole in your heart that is never repairable.” Despite the
appearance of his Kramer-like gesture, Herrin insisted the protest of paying
with thousands of quarters isn't about the money, but rather s about supporting
his family and fighting for what is right. "To support my deceased son and
ex-wife, I have to fight it to the very end and this is final end," he
added. "Because I couldn't do it in pennies.” All together, he delivered
7,500 pounds of quarters, contained in 150 bags loaded onto the back of a
flatbed truck.……..
- Stunningly, embattled and underwhelming New York Jets
quarterback Mark Sanchez did not morph into a Pro Bowl-level player over the
course of the offseason. He still looks an awful lot like Mark Sanchez, the guy
who was the back half of the infamous “Butt Fumble” last season, when he
slammed into the backside of one of his linemen and fell while dropping the
ball on the turf. That much was
apparent Saturday
night in upstate New York before an announced crowd of 6,000 at the New York
Jets' annual Green & White scrimmage. Sanchez committed a "Butt
Stumble," threw an interception and heard boos from the fans and the boos
were loudest after an interception on an overthrown deep pass. The man who
intercepted that pass did not like the response the play received from the
crowd. "I think that's bull crap," cornerback Antonio Cromartie said.
The only quality play Sanchez turned in on the night was a 57-yard touchdown
pass to Stephen Hill on the final play of the controlled scrimmage. That won't
play well against a solid night by his top competition for the starting job,
rookie Geno Smith. Smith completed nine of 16 passes for 77 yards, with no
turnovers and most of his work came with the first-team offense because it was
his turn in the quarterback rotation. Smith’s poise and arm strength were good,
but he only led the offense to three points in four possessions. That’s a
marked improvement over what Sanchez usually gives the Jets and head coach Rex
Ryan said Smith was "absolutely tremendous" on his first drive, when
he hit four straight passes before stalling in the red zone. Conversely, Ryan
said Sanchez had "some good moments and some bad moments." That’s a
liberal description of how Sanchez (6-for-11, 93 yards) fared and there was the
memorable moment of him stumbling and falling on his butt while dropping back
to pass, a sack that dredged up memories of his infamous "Butt
Fumble" from last season. Oh, and there was that time he wide-open Clyde
Gates in the end zone. Still, it was the interception that drew a chorus of
boos on an idyllic summer night in upstate New York and one can only imagine
what the response would be on a fall Sunday at MetLife Stadium………
- BMW has an all-new, all-electric car and it is glassy.
Very glassy. As in, the car is made of dried grass. This new luxury sled is called the i3 it is what
BMW's engineers and designers call a holistic approach to what eventually may
become the dominant fuel for automobiles. The i3 has been under development for
five years and the world's newest electric automobile debuted last week in
London and Beijing. Its construction is unique, as it is made largely of
aluminum but with substantial amounts of plastic cladding and carbon fiber, a
lightweight and strong material that has been used in race cars and now in
Boeing's new state-of-the art 787 Dreamliner airliner. If the i3 can avoid the
crashes and other safety issues that have beset the Dreamliner so far, that
will be a solid start. There are plenty of flashy and visually appealing
elements to the i3, including the dried-grass composite that forms the top of
the instrument panel, exposing its elements in their raw form for all to see.
BMW is making a push for environmentally friendly vehicles while seeking to
maintain its usual upscale feel and to that end, the i3 can be ordered with a
$3,000 onboard, 34-horsepower two-cylinder engine that recharges the batteries
on a long trip. Ironically, the system is similar to the one used on the
Chevrolet Volt. It is designed to alleviate the fear among owners that their
car’s batteries will run down and leave them stranded mid-trip. The basic, Giga
and Terra World models of the i3 have a starting price of $41,275 and costs
rise steeply from there. All three are four-passenger, four-door cars with the
rear doors hinged at the back and a hatchback over the small cargo area with just
8 cubic feet of space. The i3 is slightly more than 13 feet long and runs on a 170-horsepower
electric motor capable of accelerating from zero to 60 mph in about seven
seconds, with a top speed of about 94 mph………..
- Safe train travel in the United Kingdom is anything but
a certainty. Perhaps inspired by recent train accidents in Spain and
Switzerland or perhaps spurred on by statistics showing that one person had
been killed and more than 1,600 people had been hurt after slipping or tripping
at the United Kingdom’s main stations in the past year, he U.K.'s main rail
infrastructure company has issued a public education film to warn of the
dangers of being a drunken idiot while on the platform. The video shows a man
trying to kick a pigeon and missing, sending him tumbling onto the tracks; a
seemingly insensible figure falling over and over on an escalator and another
man staggering against a moving train before falling underneath. Yes, drunken
Brits are a real problem on railway platforms and Network Rail is attempting to
address the problem. We do everything we can to make moving around our stations
as easy and safe as possible, but our teams deal with far too many people who
have injured themselves where it appears alcohol has been a factor,” Robin
Gisby, the firm’s managing director for network operations, said in a
statement “We want people to enjoy their evenings and get home safe. The
only thing I want to see fall is the number of incidents, so hopefully the
campaign will be a gentle reminder for people to take extra care as they travel
home through our stations.” British Transport Police Deputy Chief Constable
Paul Crowther also expressed concern about the level of liquor consumption and
its effect on rail station safety. “Somewhat inevitably, drinking alcohol can
impair people’s judgment and coordination. Encouraging passengers to be more
aware of their surroundings, particularly when they have had a drink, and to be
alert to the inherent dangers that exist in stations will, we hope, reduce
avoidable slips and falls across the network,” Crowther said. One of the clips
in the video is from security cameras at Scotland's Edinburgh Waverley station
and its shows two men dressed in kilts – possibly supporters of Scotland’s
rugby or football teams – on a platform. One of the kilt-clad lushes tries to
boot a pigeon, only to fall onto the tracks in front of a stationary train.
“The pigeon will always win when you are beer-goggled,” the caption in the
video reads. Asking Brits to put down the booze seems an unlikely option, so
maybe putting Taser-equipped guards on the platform is a solid idea………
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